Current Events in December 2025

• TikTok has signed binding agreements to sell a controlling stake in its U.S. business to a consortium of investors — including Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX — forming a new U.S. joint venture to run the platform’s American operations. 

• The new company, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, will be majority-American owned, with U.S. data storage, content moderation and algorithm security overseen domestically to satisfy national security requirements and avoid a U.S. ban.

• ByteDance will retain a minority stake under U.S. law, with the transaction expected to close by January 22, 2026, ending years of regulatory uncertainty and legislative pressure. 

TikTok, the massively popular short-video platform used by more than 170 million Americans, has signed binding agreements to divest a controlling share of its U.S. business to a consortium of predominantly American and allied investors, according to various media reports. 

The deal, announced internally to employees Thursday and expected to be completed by January 22, 2026, creates a new entity — TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC — that will operate TikTok’s U.S. platform under heightened oversight of data security, content moderation and algorithm governance. 

The reported deal would secure TikTok’s presence in the U.S. after Congress passed legislation to ban it unless its China-based owner relinquished control.

New ownership structure

Under the terms of the agreement:

• A group led by Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will collectively hold roughly 50 % of the new U.S. venture’s equity. 

• ByteDance, TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, will retain a 19.9 % stake — the cap permitted under U.S. foreign-ownership restrictions — while existing ByteDance investors will hold about 30.1 %. 

A majority-American board of directors will govern the U.S. entity, and Oracle is set to serve as a trusted security partner responsible for storing U.S. user data on local infrastructure. 

Addressing national security concerns 

The restructuring directly responds to bipartisan U.S. concerns that TikTok’s Chinese ownership could pose risks to national security and user privacy — arguments that have propelled legislative and regulatory action for years. Under a 2024 law, commonly known as the divest-or-ban requirement, TikTok faced a potential nationwide prohibition unless it severed control by its foreign parent company. 

As part of the new arrangement, TikTok’s recommendation algorithm will be retrained on U.S. user data to further insulate it from foreign influence — a major sticking point throughout negotiations. 

The finalized deal closes a chapter of uncertainty for TikTok in the U.S., where the app has been intermittently threatened with removal since national security concerns first bubbled into public view more than five years ago. Previous presidential administrations and Congress have repeatedly pushed for divestiture, leading to multiple deadline extensions and intense negotiation between Washington and Beijing.

• Instacart will pay $60 million in consumer refunds to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the grocery delivery company used deceptive practices that raised the cost of shopping.

• The FTC says Instacart misled shoppers about “free delivery,” satisfaction guarantees, and automatic enrollment into its Instacart+ subscription program.

• A proposed court order would bar the company from deceptive pricing and subscription tactics and require clearer disclosures and express consumer consent.

The Federal Trade Commission has announced that grocery delivery provider Instacart has agreed to pay $60 million in refunds to consumers as part of a settlement resolving allegations that the company engaged in widespread deceptive practices. 

According to the FTC, those practices harmed shoppers and increased the overall cost of grocery delivery for Americans.

Under the proposed settlement, Instacart must also stop the misleading conduct identified by the agency. Consumers who were charged for Instacart+ memberships without their express, informed consent will be eligible for refunds.

“Instacart misled consumers by advertising free delivery services, and then charging consumers to have groceries delivered, and failing to disclose to consumers who signed up for a free trial that they would be automatically enrolled into its subscription program,” said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. He added that the agency is closely monitoring online delivery services to ensure companies compete transparently on price and delivery terms.

As of now, the FTC has not yet provided detailed specifics about how affected consumers will receive their refunds in the Instacart settlement. The agency typically releases that information — including the refund distribution process and whether consumers need to file a claim — only after the court approves the final order and the refund program is established.

Not so free

The FTC alleges that Instacart falsely advertised “free delivery” on first orders, even though consumers were still required to pay mandatory service fees. Those fees, which can add up to 15% to the cost of an order, were not clearly disclosed to shoppers, according to the agency.

Regulators also took issue with Instacart’s claims of a “100% satisfaction guarantee.” The FTC says the language suggested consumers would receive full refunds if they were dissatisfied, but in practice, customers who experienced late deliveries or poor service were often offered only small credits for future orders rather than refunds. In addition, the FTC alleges that Instacart obscured refund options within its self-service menu, leading many consumers to believe credits were their only option.

Another major focus of the complaint was Instacart’s handling of its Instacart+ subscription program. The FTC alleges that the company failed to clearly disclose that consumers who signed up for a free trial would be automatically charged at the end of the trial period. The agency also says Instacart did not adequately explain its restrictive refund policies, resulting in hundreds of thousands of consumers being charged membership fees without receiving benefits or refunds.

As part of the proposed settlement order, Instacart would be prohibited from misrepresenting delivery costs and satisfaction guarantees. The company would also be required to clearly and conspicuously disclose subscription terms and obtain express informed consent before enrolling consumers in programs that involve automatic charges unless customers actively opt out.

The FTC approved the stipulated final order by a 2–0 vote and filed it in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. If approved and signed by a federal judge, the order will carry the force of law.

• Use AI to set spending caps. Split your budget by category and add rules like “no gifts over $40”

• Add hard-stop banking alerts. Turn on every-transaction notifications and a “holiday” spending cap

• Shop on a schedule. Plan your buy windows and stick to 1–2 purchase days to avoid impulse spending

If your December routine often includes a weekly “why did I even buy that?” panic, you’re not alone. Holiday overspending has a way of sneaking in through dozens of small purchases. But new data suggests that one group is actually getting better at dodging the overspend trap and it just might surprise you, it’s Gen Z.

TD Bank’s 2025 Merry Money Survey found that 88% of Gen Z respondents are considering ways to limit holiday overspending. And the modern twist is that more than half (51%) of Gen Z budgeters are using AI to help build that holiday budget.

So, what are the lessons we can take away from Gen Zers? The bottom line is you don’t need to be born between 1997-2007 or an AI power user to copy what they’re doing.

The Gen Z holiday spending playbook you can steal

1. Use AI to plan the budget, not to “shop smarter”

AI is great for helping you plan and coming up with a shopping list full of gift ideas that are within your budget. Consider these prompts that Gen Z is taking full advantage of:

• “Make me a holiday budget for 12 people with a $600 cap, including stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and wrapping.”
• Then ask for a budget breakdown with what percent should go for gifts, food, travel, etc.
• Example: “If my holiday budget is $1,000, tell me what percent (and dollar amount) should go to gifts vs. food vs. travel vs. donations.”

Then take the output and put it somewhere like your notes app, a spreadsheet, or your banking app’s budgeting tool. The point is not the AI specifically, but getting an actual number you will follow.

Pro tip: If you want AI to actually help you save money, tell it your specific rules. Examples include: “No gifts over $40. Two gifts max per kid. Include three backup gift ideas under $25.”

2. Set “hard stops” with alerts

Let’s face it, most budgets fail because they don’t have enough 'tough love' built into them. To that end, it’s time to use some techy options that most banking and credit card apps have built into them.

Consider setting up these automatic tripwires:

• Set a spending alert on your card for every purchase over, say, $50.
• Set a monthly cap alert for your total “holiday” category.
• Turn on notifications for every transaction for the month of December so you can better track your spending.

3. Time your shopping like Gen Z

The survey found young shoppers are intentionally planning around big deal days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

That doesn’t mean you should buy everything on Black Friday next year. It means you should decide when you’ll buy each category:

• Tech and appliances: you can often find deals before Black Friday and in the last week before Christmas.
• Toys: buy them earlier than you think, starting in late October, keep in mind that the hot toys of the season tend to vanish come December.
• Stocking stuffers: great deals can be found last-minute.
• Gift cards: only from secure displays and only when you know you’ll use them soon.

Pro tip: If you’re the type who keeps browsing “just to check,” you’re paying the scrolling tax. Consider having just two planned purchase days and stop shopping in between those days.

4. Copy the “set aside money all year” trick

The survey also reported that Gen Z is more likely to stash money earmarked for the holidays throughout the year.

While it may be a little too late for 2025, you can easily set this up for next December:

• Open a separate savings bucket labeled “Holiday.”
• Auto-transfer a small amount daily or weekly.

Even a few bucks a day will become a significant amount of money come next holiday season. Money you can use for gifts, travel, and decorations. Plus, you’ll completely avoid that January credit card bill moment of panic.